Morale boosting
If I’m to be honest, I’ve been feeling a bit down over the last couple of weeks. I attribute it to having to say goodbye to family and friends in the UK again, missing my old teaching job and returning to a fog-filled fortnight in San Francisco. While we had an exciting time in Yosemite last weekend, it was also pretty stressful, so ultimately didn’t help to improve my mood.
I was glad, therefore, when the weekend finally came along and with it some sunshine at last. On Friday night, we went to a party at Mark and Tom’s flat, not far from us in North Beach. It was lovely to see a few friends we hadn’t seen in a while, and a good time was had by all, playing Wii and throwing stuffed sea creatures from Ikea out of the window at unsuspecting passers by. We also had a bit of a Friends moment when we went up on to the roof, then got locked out (Friends fans will remember the same thing happening to Ross and Joey). Luckily, someone had a cell phone with them and could call down to the rest of the party below! This avoided the need to dice with death and leap onto the next roof to find a way down.
Saturday was the day of the Data Connection/Metaswitch company outing or “morale boosting” event (yes, they really do call it that!). It turned out to be very appropriately named. The event took place at Teatro Zinzanni, which is located in an opulent array of circus tents on one of the piers. We had to dress up for it, which was nice, and were able to enjoy free cocktails on arrival. We then took our seats in the main tent, which was lavishly decorated and attended by costumed waiters and waitresses. We were served a delicious five-course dinner over about three hours, whilst being entertained by a mixture of burlesque comedy, opera, cabaret and acrobatics. The acrobats were world-class and it was amazing to see them twirling around, almost literally above our heads, in such a small venue. I had a truly wonderful time and am only sorry I don’t have any pictures of the show, but photography was, understandably, prohibited. A plan was hatched to continue the evening at the Savoy Tivoli, a legendary bar in North Beach, and we were just debating how to get there, when we spotted a limo, ready for hire, right outside the Teatro. The driver agreed to take us to the Tivoli for a mere $5 per person (granted, it isn't far), so we couldn’t really refuse. It’s the first time either of us has been in a limo. We only had one drink at the bar, but someone in the party (think it was Oli) ordered a round of Fernet for everyone. This has become the signature San Francisco drink (not sure why): a shot of Fernet - a truly disgusting Italian liqueur - served with a small glass of ginger beer. Believe me, one is enough: I’d almost rather drink mouthwash!
Today we went for our customary run along the waterfront, which was more difficult than usual, as I hadn’t done it for nearly a month and a half for one reason or another. Afterwards I wanted to go on a hike (much to Jon’s disappointment, who just wanted to relax and do nothing). I’d bought a new hiking book and was keen to try one out in Marin. However, the traffic heading to the Golden Gate Bridge was so bad (it’s been getting gradually worse as the Summer has progressed – I blame tourists!), that we decided instead to do a hike on the San Francisco side, along the coast west of the city. It’s a hike we’d done before – in the fog – but this time we were in luck and had glorious weather. The walk takes you past some great viewpoints, through some wild spots, then the ridiculously wealthy Seacliff area to Baker Beach. Last time we did it, we saw dolphins, and I was stunned and delighted to see them again today. However, this time, there were a lot more – we saw them from the cliff top as well as frolicking in the water just off the beach, often followed by low-flying pelicans. So, overall, a good weekend for cheering me up!
I was glad, therefore, when the weekend finally came along and with it some sunshine at last. On Friday night, we went to a party at Mark and Tom’s flat, not far from us in North Beach. It was lovely to see a few friends we hadn’t seen in a while, and a good time was had by all, playing Wii and throwing stuffed sea creatures from Ikea out of the window at unsuspecting passers by. We also had a bit of a Friends moment when we went up on to the roof, then got locked out (Friends fans will remember the same thing happening to Ross and Joey). Luckily, someone had a cell phone with them and could call down to the rest of the party below! This avoided the need to dice with death and leap onto the next roof to find a way down.
Saturday was the day of the Data Connection/Metaswitch company outing or “morale boosting” event (yes, they really do call it that!). It turned out to be very appropriately named. The event took place at Teatro Zinzanni, which is located in an opulent array of circus tents on one of the piers. We had to dress up for it, which was nice, and were able to enjoy free cocktails on arrival. We then took our seats in the main tent, which was lavishly decorated and attended by costumed waiters and waitresses. We were served a delicious five-course dinner over about three hours, whilst being entertained by a mixture of burlesque comedy, opera, cabaret and acrobatics. The acrobats were world-class and it was amazing to see them twirling around, almost literally above our heads, in such a small venue. I had a truly wonderful time and am only sorry I don’t have any pictures of the show, but photography was, understandably, prohibited. A plan was hatched to continue the evening at the Savoy Tivoli, a legendary bar in North Beach, and we were just debating how to get there, when we spotted a limo, ready for hire, right outside the Teatro. The driver agreed to take us to the Tivoli for a mere $5 per person (granted, it isn't far), so we couldn’t really refuse. It’s the first time either of us has been in a limo. We only had one drink at the bar, but someone in the party (think it was Oli) ordered a round of Fernet for everyone. This has become the signature San Francisco drink (not sure why): a shot of Fernet - a truly disgusting Italian liqueur - served with a small glass of ginger beer. Believe me, one is enough: I’d almost rather drink mouthwash!
Today we went for our customary run along the waterfront, which was more difficult than usual, as I hadn’t done it for nearly a month and a half for one reason or another. Afterwards I wanted to go on a hike (much to Jon’s disappointment, who just wanted to relax and do nothing). I’d bought a new hiking book and was keen to try one out in Marin. However, the traffic heading to the Golden Gate Bridge was so bad (it’s been getting gradually worse as the Summer has progressed – I blame tourists!), that we decided instead to do a hike on the San Francisco side, along the coast west of the city. It’s a hike we’d done before – in the fog – but this time we were in luck and had glorious weather. The walk takes you past some great viewpoints, through some wild spots, then the ridiculously wealthy Seacliff area to Baker Beach. Last time we did it, we saw dolphins, and I was stunned and delighted to see them again today. However, this time, there were a lot more – we saw them from the cliff top as well as frolicking in the water just off the beach, often followed by low-flying pelicans. So, overall, a good weekend for cheering me up!
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